2000 Porsche 911 (996)

Registered on the 11th January 2000, this lovely 2000 Porsche 911 Carrera comes from 14 years of ownership, in which time it has only covered 38,035 miles, and the vendor is only the third person to have had the pleasure of owning this 911.

We do need to mention that the car is classed as a Category D. This classification was applied on the 19th of August 2004, but we do not know any details about the damage sustained. This was at a time when insurance companies would quite quickly classify a car as a Category D for minor damage purely down to the cost of parts, and being only four years old at the time could explain its categorization. This was 20 years ago, and the vendor has reported that he’s had no issues with the car and has quite happily used the car with no concerns.

Finished in the glorious Lapis Blue, the Carrera presents well and is a nice change from the more common colours seen on the 996. There are a few age-related marks around the car, some of which would polish out and some wouldn't.

At the front of the car, the bumper has a few minor stone chips, and the paint has fractured in the centre of the bumper; the controversial 996 headlights look in good condition, with no damage. Moving up the bonnet, there are some blemishes and swirl marks, which could be reduced with a machine polish.

Looking at the side profile, the iconic 911 shape we all recognise can be seen, and it looks fantastic. The doors align well with an equal panel gap. There is a small ding on the driver's side quarter panel just behind the door, and the door does have a small amount of lacquer peel above the handle. The windows appear in good condition with no noticeable scratches to mention.

From the rear, the Carrera looks great, with its wide hips enhancing the look of the iconic Porsche 911. Everything appears to align as you would expect; both lights are in good order with no splits to the lenses.

Fitted with optional extra BBS split-rim wheels, these are in good order for their age; there are some light kerb marks on a couple of the wheels and some minor corrosion, but nothing that couldn’t easily be rectified by your local wheel refurbisher. The Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tyres were fitted just last year and haven't covered many miles since then.

Entering the 996, you are faced with the optional extra black leather wing-backed sports seats. There is a small amount of colour wear to the driver’s bolster, and the leather has come detached from the hardback rear section of the seat. This could just be a case of pulling it back and clipping it back into the recess, but it would need confirming by an upholstery specialist. The passenger seat has less wear than the driver's seat but has suffered from the same where the leather has become detached, suggesting this is quite a common thing to happen on this style of seat. The rear seats are in good condition, as are both door cards.

Sitting behind the leather-trimmed steering wheel is a nice place to be, faced with the rev counter sitting dead centre and instruments on either side, which are all working correctly. 

The odometer has a reading of just 38,035 miles, and there are no warning lights displayed when the car is running. The dashboard is free from any damage, all of the switchgear is reported to work correctly, and the car still retains the original Becker CDR-22 head unit. There is a small amount of wear to the leather on the gear knob in keeping with the age of the vehicle.

The carpets appear in good condition throughout, and the Alcantara headlining sits nice and tight with no sagging. Inside the boot, the space-saver spare wheel, tool kit, and warning triangle are present.

Looking inside the engine bay of the first water-cooled 911, there isn't a great deal to see other than the airbox and a few other components. The 3.4-litre flat-six fires with no hesitation and sounds as it should, and the vendor doesn't report any issues with the running of the car.

Fitted with the more desirable six-speed manual gearbox, the change is smooth and precise, and the car pulls strongly through the range.

The car sits nice and level, and on the road, it feels well attached to the tarmac, giving confidence around the twisty bits. Stopping the 911 is easily done with cross-drilled discs on each corner as standard. The car comes to a stop in a straight line and with no juddering through the pedal.

On the underside of the car, there are no noticeable oil leaks which we could see; the plastic undertray has cracked in a few places, quite common on sports cars, which sit quite low.

Even though the Porsche only has 38,035 miles covered, you can see from the MoT history that it has been taken for an MoT each year, ensuring that everything was kept in good order despite only being used some years for just over 200 miles.

The 911 is also reported to have been regularly serviced, with the last one being just over 12 months ago. Unfortunately, the vendor never really planned on selling the car and so wasn’t fussed about saving receipts and invoices for work carried out. There are some previous MoT certificates present, along with the driver’s manual and two keys.

For anyone looking to get into 911 ownership, then the Porsche 996 is the cheapest way to make this happen and what fun it will be! 3.4-litre flat-six coupled with the more desirable manual gearbox, the 911 Carrera has a lot to offer for a fraction of the cost from when it was new.

The 911 also comes with some nice extras such as the wing-backed sports seats, Lapis Blue paintwork, and the BBS split-rim alloy wheels, and to top it off, it’s a three previous keeper car with just 38,035 miles.

One to watch for cheap entry to a 911, we estimate this will fetch in the region of between £8,000 - £12,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are strictly by appointment.  To make a booking, please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.